The Guessing Game

Tips for 2011 are flying left, right and centre at the moment but, by virtue of the fact that the BBC's 'Sound of...' list compiles the predictions of over 150 music gurus across the UK, it's inevitably going to hold a bit more weight.

The past few years, the lists have been dominated by female-fronted acts, with Adele, Duffy, Florence and the Machine, Ellie Goulding, La Roux and Marina & The Diamonds all placing in the upper reaches. As such, it's refreshing to see so many great male artists in this year's shortlist.

Jai Paul and James Blake are two acts that I've posted about in the past and, with the right break, could conceivably convert their blogospheric hype to mainstream success.

Another act who, like both Jai Paul and James Blake, teams neo-soul vocals with electronic and post-dub arrangements is Jamie Woon. But whereas James Blake started out a more leftfield artist and has now begun embracing conventional song structures, Jamie Woon began as a singer-songwriter before gradually turning to the dark side.



Jamie Woon - You're Not Alone (Olive Cover)



Jamie Woon - Night Air (Ramadanman Refix)



There are of course the usual crop of indie bands, curveballs in the guise of dubstep-lite act Nero and grime act Wretch 32, and those pesky female fronted outfits.

The wispy Esben and the Witch could be a strong contender for a Top 5 finish, whereas big-voiced Birmingham lass Clare Maguire and spiky power-pop chanteuse Jessie J are also likely to feature in the final reckoning.



Clare Maguire - Ain't Nobody (Breakage Remix)





Jessie J - Do It Like A Dude (Hygrade Dubstep Remix)



The full shortlist is as folows: James Blake, Anna Calvi, Daley, Esben And The Witch, Jessie J, Clare Maguire, Mona, The Naked And Famous, Nero, Jai Paul,The Vaccines, Warpaint, Jamie Woon, Wretch 32 and Yuck.